MANKATO, Minn. — Jury selection begins Monday in the high-profile trial of Adam Fravel, the man accused of murdering Maddi Kingsbury, his longtime partner and mother of his children.
While the alleged murder took place in Winona County, the trial will unfold in Mankato, the seat of Blue Earth County. Judge Winona Judge Nancy Buytendorp supported a defense motion to change the venue for the trial, saying it would be difficult to select an impartial jury in Winona County due to extensive pre-trial publicity.
KARE 11's Lou Raguse, who has covered the case extensively, says proceedings will open with motions at 10 a.m. Monday, with the jury selection kicking off at 1 p.m. The process of seating a jury is expected to last about a week, with the trial itself anticipated to stretch out for most of October.
Fravel is charged with two counts of first-degree murder - one for murder while committing domestic abuse and one for premeditated murder - along with two additional counts of second-degree murder.
Kingsbury was last seen alive while dropping her young children off at daycare on March 31, 2023. She was reported missing, and a massive search effort went on for weeks until her body was found in a remote location close to where Fravel admits being on the day she disappeared.
Fravel's family also has a connection to that land as his parent's farm is nearby.
Raguse says while the criminal complaint documents a mountain of circumstantial evidence allegedly pointing directly at Fravel, prosecutors have not revealed the extent of physical evidence linking him.
Evidence pointing to a past pattern of domestic abuse will be needed to prove guilt on one of the first-degree murder counts, and would also help in proving the other charges.
Judge Buytendorp did rule that Kingsbury's friends and family will be able to testify to alleged domestic abuse in their relationship, despite objections from Fravel's defense team on a number of fronts.
"In this case, the Court examined the State’s proposed hearsay statements, which are common in cases involving allegations of domestic abuse, where incidents often occur in private and go unreported. Victims typically share their experiences with family and close friends, making these statements crucial evidence," the judge wrote in her ruling.
Another matter prosecutors will introduce is Fravel's infatuation with the Gabby Petito case, due to similarities with Kingsbury's disappearance. Petito disappeared while on a road trip with her abusive boyfriend and fiancé Brian Laundrie during the summer of 2021. Her body was later discovered buried in a campground, while Laundrie died of suicide before being brought to trial.
Raguse is in Mankato Monday as the trial begins, and will update the proceedings both on air and online.